Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers in Dutch
Numbers play a crucial role in our daily lives, enabling us to count, measure, and quantify various aspects of the world around us. In Dutch, as in many other languages, numbers are categorized into two main types: cardinal numbers and ordinal numbers. Cardinal numbers represent quantity or counting, while ordinal numbers denote the order or position of objects in a series. Let's delve into the intricacies of cardinal and ordinal numbers in Dutch and explore how they are used in different contexts.
First, let's start with cardinal numbers. Cardinal numbers are used to count objects, express quantities, or give numerical information. In Dutch, cardinal numbers are generally written as separate words. Here are the cardinal numbers from zero to ten:
0 - nul 1 - een 2 - twee 3 - drie 4 - vier 5 - vijf 6 - zes 7 - zeven 8 - acht 9 - negen 10 - tien
Now, let's move on to ordinal numbers. Ordinal numbers indicate the position or order of something in a sequence. In Dutch, ordinal numbers are formed by adding the suffix "-de" or "-ste" to the cardinal number, depending on the gender and number agreement. The suffix "-de" is used for ordinal numbers ending in a consonant, while the suffix "-ste" is used for those ending in a vowel. Here are some examples:
1st - eerste 2nd - tweede 3rd - derde 4th - vierde 5th - vijfde 6th - zesde 7th - zevende 8th - achtste 9th - negende 10th - tiende
Here is a table:
Numeral | Cardinal | Ordinal |
0 | nul [nʏl] | nulde |
1 | één [en] | eerste ['ɪ:rstə] |
2 | twee [tυe] | tweede ['tυedə] |
3 | drie [dri] | derde ['dεrdə] |
4 | vier [vi:r] | vierde ['vi:rdə] |
5 | vijf [vεɪf] | vijfde ['vεɪvdə] |
6 | zes [zεs] | zesde [zεzdə] |
7 | zeven ['zevə(n)] | zevende ['zevəndə] |
8 | acht [ɑxt] | achtste ['ɑxstə] |
9 | negen ['nexə(n)] | negende ['nexəndə] |
10 | tien [tin] | tiende ['tində] |
11 | elf [εlf] | elfde ['εlvde] |
12 | twaalf [tυalf] | twaalfde ['tυalvdə] |
13 | dertien ['dεrtin] | dertiende ['dεrtində] |
14 | veertien ['vɪ:rtin] | veertiende ['vɪ:rtində] |
15 | vijftien ['vεɪftin] | vijftiende ['vεɪftində] |
16 | zestien ['zεstin] | zestiende ['zεstində] |
17 | zeventien ['zevəntin] | zeventiende ['zevəntində] |
18 | achttien ['ɑxtin] | achttiende ['ɑxtində] |
19 | negentien ['nexəntin] | negentiende ['nexəntində] |
20 | twintig ['tυɪntəx] | twintigste ['tυɪntəxstə] |